# How do actors feel about this knowing that they are typecast? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 10, 2013, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-feel-about-this-knowing-that-they-are-typecast/646713 "2013-01-10T03:43:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-feel-about-this-knowing-that-they-are-typecast/646713/21 "2013-01-10T15:22:12Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > George Reeves killed himself (maybe). He was typecast, but certainly not as the “fat ugly friend.” ---
**Author:** ![gracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-feel-about-this-knowing-that-they-are-typecast/646713/22 "2013-01-10T15:32:11Z")
It’s a career choice. If the look is very particular they’ll be with a specialised agency. You get exceptionally thin people who are basically the people you see in concentration camps on film, stuff like that. If you want to be an _actor_ you work in theatre, you take on challenging and interesting roles etc, sometimes you might work in tv or film. If you want to be a celebrity but you don’t look like a barbie doll you can try to aim for the sidekick parts, or the highly specialised weirdo parts. And then there is wanting to be an actor, but having to pay rent. A friend of mine is the obese bald guy. You’ve seen him in loads of stuff. He makes money that way, but he’s actually a very talented actor and comedian. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-feel-about-this-knowing-that-they-are-typecast/646713/23 "2013-01-10T15:38:13Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > I saw William Shatner last night and he said that he became accepting of the fact that he was going to be Kirk his entire life during an interview with Patrick Stewart, when Stewart said that, despite all the Shakespeare, etc that _he’s_ done, he is proud to be remembered as Picard. Of course, Patrick Stewart’s pre-Star Trek career was 12 years longer than Shatner’s. I suspect the younger you are when you get typecast, the more it rankles. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-feel-about-this-knowing-that-they-are-typecast/646713/24 "2013-01-10T15:40:02Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > He was typecast, but certainly not as the “fat ugly friend.” Yes, but if he really did kill himself because of the unavailability of roles for Superman than he probably would have preferred being the ‘fat ugly friend’. As you can see from reading the thread, the actor’s feelings reflect the impact of typecasting on their career. The ‘fat ugly friend’ type might have no career at all without typecasting, others may find themselves unable to work because of the limited roles for their type. ---
**Author:** ![vislor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vislor/32/5933_2.png) [@vislor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vislor)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-feel-about-this-knowing-that-they-are-typecast/646713/25 "2013-01-10T15:40:20Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Isn’t that what I said? “He could be like Dudley and eventually lose it”. I mean, I am not sure whence the “um…” comes from as it seems I am agreeing with you on every point! Ah, sorry. That’s how I read that. My bad. vislor ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-feel-about-this-knowing-that-they-are-typecast/646713/26 "2013-01-10T15:47:20Z")
I know for some, it’s easier to get cast if you are ‘interesting’ instead of ‘beautiful’ - let’s face it, beautiful is easier to come by in places like Hollywood, and eventually it will fade…interesting looking lasts. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-feel-about-this-knowing-that-they-are-typecast/646713/27 "2013-01-10T16:51:31Z")
I remember Robert Webber, who is best remembered as the gay lyricist in “10” and Maddie’s father in “Moonlighting” said early in his career he met Warner Brothers character actor Frank McHugh. Webber remarked he wanted to be a big star, McHugh said you should want to be a character actor…that way you will always have a job ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-feel-about-this-knowing-that-they-are-typecast/646713/28 "2013-01-10T18:12:02Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Hattie McDaniel was said she was much happier to be payed $50 a week pretending to be a maid than actually being a maid for $5 a week. On the other hand, I heard an interview with Maz Jobrani last night, who is crowdsourcing the funding to make his own movie because he was tired of being cast as a terrorist or a taxi driver or a terrorist taxi driver. ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-feel-about-this-knowing-that-they-are-typecast/646713/29 "2013-01-10T19:46:31Z")
> [@cher3](#): > > On the other hand, I heard an interview with Maz Jobrani last night, who is crowdsourcing the funding to make his own movie because he was tired of being cast as a terrorist or a taxi driver or a terrorist taxi driver. He should start by losing his facial hair. You just \*know \*that he somebody’s evil twin. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-feel-about-this-knowing-that-they-are-typecast/646713/30 "2013-01-10T20:34:09Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I feel British telly shows more ugly people on average. I agree. Not only do they show more ugly people, they show more \*normal \*looking people. In British TV, actors playing country doctors look like, well, country doctors. In American TV, actors playing crime scene investigators look like supermodels. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-feel-about-this-knowing-that-they-are-typecast/646713.md?page=1)